Taking advantage of Spring Break in our school system we
decided on a mini-vacation. My first choice was Key West,
however after learning hotel and B&B rates tripled for
Easter week we looked elsewhere.

We decided on a plan to see Monticello in Charlottesville,
VA and more of Washington DC.

Monticello is the home and burial site of Thomas Jefferson,
the United States' third president. Driving time from
Philadelphia was about 5 hours with traffic. As evening
approached we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the
Blue Ridge Mountains.

Our hotel reservation was at a Courtyard by Marriott about
15 minutes from the site and centrally located to the
highway and restaurants. The drive from our hotel to
Monticello was easy and clearly marked.

After paying admission there is a shuttle to the main house,
followed by a greeting and a tour. The tour encompasses the
first floor area and affords a good historical perspective.
After the initial guided tour there are tours of the garden
and burial site.

Mr. Jefferson was a farmer at heart and experimented with
hybrid technology throughout his life to increase crop yield
and variety. The burial plot is about ¼ mile from the home
and down a steep pathway. Considering the man’s
contributions to the United States his grave marker is
simple as he requested.

The last tour is called Mulberry Row and follows slave and
hired help life at Monticello. Remains of housing have been
unearthed and conserved along with many artifacts
chronicling life at Monticello.

After these tours there are many cellar level areas to
explore, including the kitchen, wine cellar, laundry and
privy. It would be best to arrive early and plan on about
three hours to see all the sites.

After leaving Monticello, we stopped at the Thomas Jefferson
Visitors Center. Housed there are artifacts and papers
describing the life and accomplishments of Jefferson. There
also is a movie running to expand upon the displays.
Showtimes vary according to season.

Off to downtown Charlottesville for some lunch and then to
the campus of the University of Virginia. We enjoyed lunch
sitting outdoors at a small café on the pedestrian mall in
downtown Charlottesville.

Lunch concluded, we explored parts of the campus. The
rotunda, an original part of the main building was
Jefferson’s design and is the focal point of the college.

The following morning we were on our way to Washington DC.
Due to a navigational error, mine, we ended up on some back
roads heading towards highway I95. It all worked out as we
visited the Manassas Battlefield, from the Civil War, and
Montpelier, the home of James Madison. Madison was the US
forth President and married to Dolly. She is well known for
rescuing the most famous portrait of General Washington,
when the White House was burned during the war of 1812.

We arrived in the Washington DC area and headed to the hotel
in Arlington, VA a 10 minute Metro ride from DC. First on
the agenda, our US Senator's office had arranged a tour of
the US Capital building. After the requisite security check,
we were escorted to the Senator's office to join the balance
of our group. The tour included the original Supreme Court,
the Rotunda where many leaders have lain in state, statues
of many politicians and murals depicting many well known
events in US history. The highlight for me was a ride on the
Senate subway which connects the different office buildings
and the Capital. The dining room was available for lunch if
we chose.

The next morning, early, we were off on the Metro towards
Alexandria, VA. We transferred to the "Fairfax Connector"
which stopped at Mount Vernon, the home and final resting
place of George Washington. Arriving early we were in one of
the first tour groups and enjoyed free time to explore the
gardens. Before the crowds and groups descended, we had some
enjoyable conversations with tour guides and docents. Being
from the Philadelphia area we were able to impart our
knowledge of George Washington, as he had commanded our
forces in the war for independence and many decisive battles
were waged in our area.

A major construction project is underway to build a visitors
center and we enjoyed a mini-tour and lunch before
departing.

>From the bus to the Metro we traveled into DC and the World
War II memorial, a stunning edifice spearheaded by Tom Hanks
to preserve the history of the USA’s Greatest Generation.
The memorial, separated by a water feature into Pacific
and Atlantic, includes recognition of all the US states,
our Allies and where the battles were fought. Many plaques
throughout the exhibit have quotes from world leaders of the
day. Well worth the visit. As we were finishing up touring
the memorial, a man approached us to take his photograph.
The gentleman was from Perth, Australia and we spent the
better part of an hour discussing the historical perspective
of the monuments in the area. The other monuments included
the Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial, Lincoln
Memorial, Vietnam and Korean War memorials. The man had
served in Southeast Asia in the late 60s and looked forward
to visiting the other memorials.

After a long day of touring we enjoyed a leisurely dinner in
the Crystal City Underground in Arlington and packed to head
home the next morning. We drove about 950 miles, pleased at
having enhanced our understanding of our nation's history.